Ski boot tree



Aug. 20, 1968 A. CELLI 3,397,416

SKI BOOT TREE Filed Feb. 14, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l L INVENTOR T163 ALDO CELLI ATTORNEYS Aug. 20, 1968 A. CELL] 3,397,416

SKI BOOT TREE Filed Feb. 14, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet P.

INVENTOR ALDO CELLI EDI-6'6 BY ATTORNEY 5 United States Patent 3,397,416 SKI BOOT TREE Aldo Celli, Milan, Italy, assignor of forty percent to Henry H. Gleisner, Pontiac, Mich., and twenty percent to Frank Mariano, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Filed Feb. 14, 1967, Ser. No. 616,004 9 Claims. (Cl. 12120.5)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ski boot tree having independently adjustable toe clamps mounted upon a slidable bracket and stationary heel clamps for straightening soles of ski boots. Each toe clamp is adjustable through a pin and slot connection with the bracket that also permits swinging of the clamps towards and away from the bracket.

This invention relates to a ski boot tree.

It is an object of this invention to provide a ski boot tree which is of simple and economical construction and which is admirably suited for carrying and retaining a pair of ski boots with the soles thereof in a flat condition.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a ski boot tree provided with clamps which are independently adjustable both for boot length and sole thickness so as to accommodate two boots of a pair, the soles of which may vary in shape and dimensions.

Generally speaking the boot tree of the present invention includes a base provided with clamps for engaging the heel portions of a pair of ski boots. A pair of upright rods are secured on the base and are connected together at their upper ends by a handle. Intermediate the handle and the base there is slidably arranged on the rod a bracket which supports a pair of clamp members for engaging the upper ends of the boot soles. The clamps are adapted to be tightened for pressing the boot soles flat against the upright rods. The two clamps are mounted on the bracket so that they are independently adjustable vertically of the bracket so as to accommodate soles of different thicknesses, shapes and other dimensions.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view, with portions broken away, of a boot tree according to the present invention and illustrating the manner in which a pair of ski boots are adapted to be supported thereon.

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the ski boot tree.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the ski boot tree shoW- ing the manner in which the toe clamps are mounted on the slidable bracket and adapted to be brought into clamping engagement with the sole of a ski boot.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view along the line 66 in FIG. 3.

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of one of the clamps as seen from the inner side thereof.

The ski boot tree of the present invention includes a base 10 having a pair of sockets 12 therein in which the lower ends of a pair of upright metal or plastic rods 14 are press fitted or otherwise secured. A handle 16 is press fitted or otherwise secured to the upper ends of rods 14 so that base 10 and handle 16 securely retain rods 14 in upright spaced-apart relation. Handle 16 and base 10 are preferably molded from a plastic material. Base 10 is fashioned with a pair of slots 18 and with two pairs of serrated tracks 20 on the upper face thereof. Slots 18 and tracks 20 are arranged on opposite sides of the plane formed by the upright rods 14. A pair of heel brackets 22 are slidably arranged on base 10. As shown in FIG. 6, each heel bracket 22 has serrations 24 on the bottom face thereof for engaging tracks 20. A screw 26 extending downwardly through each bracket 22 and through the corresponding slot 18 enables the bracket to be shifted toward and away from rods 14. A nut 28 is provided for locking bracket 22 in its adjusted position. Each bracket 22 is fashioned with an upright heel clamping portion 30 having a concave upper edge 32 for engaging the heel of the boot as shown in FIG. 1.

Between handle 16 and base 10 there is slidably arranged on rods 14 a bracket 34. Bracket 34 is molded from plastic as two identical half sections 35 which are secured together in back to back relation by screws 36. Each half section 35 of bracket 34 is formed with a vertically extending groove 38 which, when the half sections are secured together, form passageways for the two rods 14. The two half sections are dimensioned such that when they are secured together by screws 36 the bracket fric tionally engages rods 14 and is shiftable vertically thereon. Each half section of bracket 34 is molded as a generally hollow section with a stud or pin portion 40 projecting outwardly therefrom (FIG. 5) At their inner faces and below the level of pin portions 40 each section of bracket 34 is formed with a non-circular recess 42 for receiving the non-circular head 44 of a threaded stud 46. When the two half sections of bracket 34 are secured together the heads 44 of studs 46 are trapped in recesses 42 against any substantial movement. As shown in FIG. 5, studs 46 are arranged to project laterally outwardly in opposite directions from the plane of rods 14.

On bracket 34 there is arranged a pair of clamps 48. Each clamp 48 is preferably molded from plastic as a generally hollow section having peripheral flange 49, a flat outer wall 50 and a toe clamping flange 52. The inside of each clamp 48 has molded thereon a pair of spaced vertical ribs 54 which reinforce the clamp. Ribs 54 are interconnected by a transverse rib 56 which defines guideway 58 on the back side of each clamp 48 for receiving pin portions 40 of bracket 34 and for permitting vertical adjustment of each clamp 48 relative to bracket 34. Each clamp 48 is also provided with an aperture 60 having a vertical dimension substantially greater than the diameter of the threaded portions of studs 46. A pair of coil springs 62 are arranged between the opposite outer faces of bracket 34 and the inner faces of the two clamps 48 so as to urge the clamps in a direction outwardly from the plane of upright rods 14. A threaded knob 64 is provided for the outer threaded end of each stud 46. Knobs 64, when tightened, are adapted to engage the outer faces of clamps 48 and swing the clamps inwardly toward the plane of rod 14 against the tension of springs 62.

In arranging a pair of ski boots on the boot tree of the present invention, initially the heel brackets 22 are adjusted on base 10 so that the heel of the boot can be inserted snugly between the vertical clamping flange 30 and the upright rods 14. The boots are arranged with their soles in a generally upright position as shown in FIG. 1 and bracket 34 is then slid downwardly on rods 14 to a position wherein the toe clamping flanges 52 of clamps 48 are generally aligned with the upper end of the sole of the boot. In FIG. 5, the toe of the boot is designated 66 and the upper end of the boot sole is designated 68. Accurate positioning of bracket 34 is not required initially since each clamp 48 is independently adjustable on the bracket for fine adjustment. After bracket 34 is roughly positioned at the desired height on rods 14, the two clamps 48 are individually brought into clamping relation with the upper end 68 of the boot sole. The clamping engagement of the sole is accomplished by swinging the clamp downwardly so that the toe clamping fiange 52 engages the upper end of the boot sole. Since the guideway 58 and the vertically elongated aperture 60 on each clamp 48 enables the clamp members to be individually vertically adjusted, each clamp can be located in the exact position required for effectively clamping the sole of the boot against. one side of rods 14. This individual adjustment of each clamp is important because two boots of a pair are seldom of exactly the same shape and dimensions in their soles. After each clamp is vertically adjusted to properly engage the upper end 68 of the boot sole, each knob 64 is rotated so as to cause the toe clamping flange 52 to engage the upper end 68 of the sole and press it inwardly against the adjacent side of rods 14 so that the boot soles will be pressed flat against the opposite sides of the two rods 14. Thus the boot tree of the present invention prevents the soles of ski boots from warping and also allows easy carrying of the boots and ready removal of the boots from the tree.

I claim:

1. A ski boot tree comprising a base, an upright support on said base, means on said base for clamping the heels of a pair of ski boots fiat against the opposite sides of said upright support, a bracket adjustable vertically on said upright support, said bracket including a pair of guide members on opposite sides thereof and also including fastening means projecting laterally outward from opposite sides thereof, a pair of clamps positioned on the laterally opposite sides of the bracket, each clamp being guided for vertical adjustment on said bracket by said guide members and including a boot sole engaging flange adjacent the lower end thereof so that the clamps can be shifted independently of one another downwardly on the bracket to engage said flange with the upper end of the sole of a ski boot which is positioned with its sole extending upwardly along said upright support, said fastening means projecting through said clamps and means engaged with said fastening means for drawing each clamp inwardly toward the upright support for pressing the boot sole thereagainst.

2. A boot tree as called for in claim 1 wherein said upright support comprises a pair of rods, a handle at the upper ends of said rods, said handle and said base each having apertures therein for receiving the respective ends of the rods and for retaining therods in spaced-apart relation.

3. A boot tree as called for in claim 1 wherein said upright support comprises a pair of spaced vertically extending rods, said bracket having a pair of spaced vertically extending passageways therein through which the rods extend and in which the rods are frictionally engaged for permitting vertical sliding movement of the bracket on the rods.

4. A boot tree as called for in claim 3 wherein said rods are formed of metal and said bracket and clamps are formed of plastic.

5. A boot tree as called for in claim 1 wherein said bracket comprises two half sections secured together in back to back relation, each half section having a noncircular recess on the back thereof, said fastening means comprising studs, said studs each having a non-circular head trapped in said recesses.

6. A boot tree as called for in claim 5 wherein said studs are threaded at their outer ends and including springs encircling said studs and extending between said bracket and each clamp to bias the clamps outwardly away from the upright support, said means engaged with the fastening means comprising knobs threaded on the outer ends of said studs for engaging the outer sides of said clamps and shifting them inwardly against the bias of said springs.

7. A boot tree as called for in claim 1 wherein each clamp is provided with a vertically extending guideway and said guide members on said bracket comprise pin means projecting outwardly on said bracket and engaged in said vertically extending guideways to enable vertical adjustment of each clamp on the bracket.

8. A boot tree as called for in claim 7 wherein each clamp is provided with an aperture through which said fastening means extend, said aperture having a vertical dimension greater than the vertical dimension of the fastening means to accommodate vertical adjustment of the clamp on the bracket.

9. A boot tree as called for in claim 1 wherein each clamp is fulcrumed adjacent its upper end on said bracket for swinging movement in a vertical plane toward and away from said upright support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,883,688 4/1959 Barreca l2120.5 3,013,286 12/1961 Barreca 12120.5 3,145,402 8/1964 Kaminski 12-120.5 3,237,226 3/1966 Gjesdahl 12120.5

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

